Raised by Wolves
by emmestorm
Summary: An afternoon with Emily. One-shot.


_Raised by Wolves_

Finding little resistance from the hardwood floors, shrieks of childish delight skittered through the cozy house causing the busy woman in the kitchen to pause, shut her eyes, and take three long, deep breathes. The never-ending rain was exceptionally heavy today, successfully preventing any relief the great outdoors may have provided bored children. Emily Uley loved her children dearly but between the yelling, the running, and the crashes she was certain that today she would gladly give her right arm for a little sunshine so that she could _send them to play outside_.

Resuming her vigil over her beloved little stove, Emily ran her arm across her forehead in an attempt to remove the rebellious strands of hair hovering over her face. Pausing for a moment, she quickly took stock of her current appearance. Her hair, usually neatly braided or pulled into a low bun, was completely unkempt and frizzy, thanks to the persistent, pervasive humidity. The front of her shirt was speckled with bits of tomato and cookie batter. She was certain, though she couldn't see to be sure, that she had streaks of flour on her face. Not to mention, her ever-spotless kitchen was…spotted, to say the least. Tonight was important, a huge pack meeting, and between cooking, cleaning, and corralling two children her nerves were a more than a little frayed.

As she swallowed two aspirin, the clatter of toys being dumped onto the floor echoed once more into the kitchen. In her most authoritative voice – which apparently wasn't as intimidating as she thought it to be – Emily yelled, "Anna, Ben, what have I told you about pulling out all the toys?"

An ominous silence, heavy with anticipation, filled the house, once more pulling Emily's attention away from the bubbling pot. Wiping her hands on a towel, she cautiously approached the doorway to the living room where it seemed more than probable that her darling children were playing "construction site". Just before she rounded the corner into the disaster area, she was greeted by an unhealthy sounding crash – the eye-cringing tinkle of shattering glass included – followed immediately by hushed arguing. She rushed into the room to survey the latest bout of damage, quickly guiding both children away from the sad remains of her favorite crystal vase.

The last little bit of Emily's normally calm, collected demeanor slipped away. "Argh! _That. Is. It! _In _one_ day, the _two_ of you have managed to _completely _destroy our house! I know you're bored, I'm sorry it's raining, but _why must you act as though you were raised by wolves_?!"

The children were silent as they guiltily stared at the floor, but their shame at bringing their poor mother close to tears was short lived. A bubble of male laughter erupted from the vicinity of the doorway, quickly growing into a raucous cacophony of howls and snickers. Slowly and precisely, Emily's deadly glare moved away from the two grateful culprits and towards the source of the wall-shaking guffaws.

Five enormous men stood in the doorway, laughing so hard that they held their sides in pain, her dear husband among them. Her glare had less impact that she had anticipated and instead of quelling their merriment, it only added fuel to an already roaring fire. Emily's eyes widened in surprise at the response, and in the calmest voice she could manage (which still came out somewhere between a shriek and sob) asked, "Exactly what do you find so funny, Uley?"

Realizing that it was in his best interest, Sam Uley stopped laughing at once, taking two steps to cross the room and reach his incensed wife. He gently touched her cheek with his hand before brushing the still uncooperative hair from her face. "We didn't mean to laugh at you. It's just…" He stopped to look pointedly towards the other men in the room, who were still chuckling. "Raised by wolves?"

Emily stood very still for a moment, a thoughtful look crossing her face. Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest as she let out a loud laugh. Her entire body was shaking with the force of her laughter. Leaning back to look at him once more, she smiled. "Wolves! I never even thought about that!" Everyone, including her husband, stared openly at her, confusion clear on their faces at her quicksilver temper. Emily, who was still giggling, walked back into her kitchen shaking her head, leaving the men to clean up the disaster. "Wolves. It all makes sense now!"

* * *

A/N: This was initially supposed to be a humorous one-shot, but it didn't really turn out that way. So it's just a slice of life with the wolves, who I have just recently become enamored with. I used to be strictly a Bella/Edward/vampires person (and I do still like them), but really, the wolves are awesome, aren't they? :)


End file.
